AV SuperFriends

Recorded October 24, 2025

In this Thanksgiving special, the crew gathers at the bustling Circus Circus in Las Vegas (by way of theater of the mind). Chris, Jamie, Marc, Larry, Justin, and special guest Frank Alaimo, dive into the chaos of AV integration during the holiday season, while serving up piping hot takes and mashed-up opinions.

As they navigate the complexities of holiday technology requests, the conversation hilariously veers into the world of DIY AV setups, unexpected tech purchases, and the challenges of integrating consumer-grade equipment into professional environments. From the infamous 'hockey puck' microphones to the wild world of Raspberry Pi lighting setups, nothing is off the table.

So loosen your belts, grab a plate, and settle in for a feast of sound, humor, and a few too many turkey puns!

Connect with Frank: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-alaimo-cts-i-01872466/

AI-generated alternate show titles:

• Turkey Talk and Tech Troubles

• A Thanksgiving Roundtable of AV Shenanigans

• Gravy and Gadgets

• A Thanksgiving AV Extravaganza

• A Turkey-Themed AV Roundtable

Far superior human created alternate show titles:

• When you see people on stilts, you know it's a fancy joint

• This is actually fulfilling one of my life goals

• Mistakes were made

• The Whoa-Pro!

• It works right out of the box

• A hockey puck USB mic

• It has little legs on it, maybe not

• The turducken of meeting rooms

• They start banging it out and you're like "Oh!"

• What do you think is going on in this classroom, dude?

• This is news to me!

• An army of fruit rolling around

We stream live every Friday at about 315p Eastern/1215p Pacific and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded throughout October 2025

The AV SuperFriends return for their annual Halloween adventure, and this year, the hauntings have gone stadium-wide. When the university football field is plagued by flickering lights, phantom crowd noise, and a scoreboard frozen at 13 seconds left, the team uncovers a century-old mystery: a championship game from 1925 that was never finished.

Armed with motion-capture suits, AR projection mapping, and one wildly unstable multicast tunnel, Marc, Larry, Jamie, Chris, and Justin must help the ghosts complete their final drive and face down legendary Coach Mortimer "Iron Whistle" Grange, who still believes the game isn't over until he blows the whistle.

🎃 Friday Night Frights, an AV SuperFriends Halloween Special.

Special thanks to Richard Mitchell and Michael Hooper.

All blame goes to Chris and Marc for this nonsense. ▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded October 17, 2025

In our first ever live in-person episode of the Weekly Rivalry, the spotlight shines on Waco, Texas, as the Central Florida Knights take on the Baylor Bears in a thrilling showdown that transcends football. Justin and Chris with special guests Mike Ferry from UCF and Connor Krey from Baylor as they explore the intricate interplay between AV and IT teams that keep everything running smoothly.

As the two institutions gear up for a homecoming game, the conversation touches on everything from in-house integration, to the quirks of managing classroom technology, to playful debates over the best AV practices, surprising classroom transformations, and the realities of team collaboration. Plus, don't miss the rapid-fire questions in the fourth quarter, where quick thinking and AV knowledge can make all the difference.

As the game unfolds, the stakes rise, and the camaraderie shines through, proving that in the world of higher education AV, it's not just about the game. It's about the dedication to creating exceptional learning environments.

Connect with our guests:

Mike Ferry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-ferry-52333137/

Connor Krey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conner-krey-b864235/

We stream live every Friday at about 300p Eastern/1200p Pacific and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded Oct 8, 2025

In this episode, the crew tackles the realities of higher ed AV projects that just don't go according to plan.

When timelines slip, budgets tighten, or rooms are handed over mid-flight, how do campus tech teams adapt and deliver before classes start? Chris, Marc, Larry, Jamie, Justin, and special guest Chris Gaut exchange tales about project rescues, impossible deadlines, and those "we don't need you… until we do" moments, whether it's taking over a half-finished install, fixing someone else's mistakes, or deciding when to step in (and when to let it burn).

Later, the discussion turns to mixed-use spaces and the eternal debate over surround sound in classrooms and auditoriums: what customers say they want versus what they really need.

In the news, Zoom wants to be your video content management platform, taking on Kaltura, Yuja, Panopto, etc. Good.

News: https://www.zoom.com/en/products/video-management/

Connect with our guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-gaut-430607174/

AI-generated alternate show titles:

• We Didn't Start the Fire (But Facilities Did)

• Let It Burn: A Project Management Love Story

• Scope, Schedule, and Smoke Damage

• The Great Handoff Heist

• Pumpkin Spice and Panic Season

• Who Signed Off on This?

• Surround Sound in the Storage Closet

• AV Triage: Do No Harm, Fix Everything

• Hot Mics and Hotter Deadlines

• Off the Rails: Now with 30% More Fire

Far superior human created alternate show titles:

• Am I paying for this bill?

• It might not be a… synchronous course

• It's not that I'm not positive on AI…

• Buy low, sell high

• You have steak in the game

• Two people in one rack

• I want some pain to be felt

• Owner Found Equipment

• If you've got a PM who's going through a bumpy divorce

• This is oddly specific

• We're outside their sphere of control

• Justin and his crazy ass hairbrained AV shit

• There's no submittals for lighting control…

• Malicious compliance

• This is my cousin Shmustin

• I'm picturing Justin in tear-away cargo pants

• We call that surrounded by sound

• That's why you do mono everywhere

• They both like high quality projection

• I'm not doing it, that's stupid

• Choose your own adventure

• No, because I lied to them

• Mano-a-mono

• Math that out

We stream live every Friday at about 300p Eastern/1200p Pacific and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded October 3, 2025

In this episode, the crew gears up for the 2025 ETC Conference in Raleigh, NC, swapping predictions, travel plans, and a few questionable presentation ideas. Brandon Pope from NC State and Tim Cichos from Notre Dame join to preview what attendees can expect from the conference, from the carefully planned venues and community spirit to the sessions that promise to mix genuine insight with the usual mischief.

The news segment debates goggles, infinite desktops, and TikTok eyewear that no one asked for. The panel also unpacks how AV and IT teams evolve from specialized support units to campus-wide partners. The Weekly Rivalry returns with campus tech bragging rights on the line with football-style scorekeeping applied to AV, IT, and higher ed technology showdowns.

News story: https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-halts-vision-pro-overhaul-focus-ai-glasses-bloomberg-news-reports-2025-10-01/

Connect with our guests:

• Tim Cichos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tcichos/

• Brandon Pope: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-pope-nc-edtech-profile/

ETC Conference: https://www.etcollaborative.org/2025-annual-conference

AI-Generated Alternate Titles:

• Pumpkin Spice and Patch Cables

• The ETC Pre-Game Show

• Stuff, Things, and Infinite Desktops

• TikTok Goggles for Higher Ed

• Flooding the Zone with AV Wisdom

• The Carolinas Conference Countdown

• Mannequins, MacBooks, and Mayhem

• Raleigh Rally: The AV SuperFriends Hit the Road

• Goggles, Gremlins, and Great Expectations

• Prepping for ETC Like It's Finals Week

Far superior human-generated alternate titles:

• Infinite Desktop

• Your desktop is in my airspace

• Will it increase their band-width?

• I think what Chris said is the important part

• Little did you know, I'm the CFO

• The rest of us are pretty much useless

• Is this about BBQ again?

• Sneakernet Days

• I'm going to see all this BS about AI

• I didn't on purpose go there

• That's what the snap monkeys are for!

• From central to not-central to central again

• Spend Money!

• Frugalivity

• Just don't put sound in your rooms

• They were keeping puddles in there

• Brian's Brains

• I've lost every time since

We stream live every Friday at about 300p Eastern/1200p Pacific and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded September 19, 2025

It's October, and the AV SuperFriends are leaning into the spooky season with a conversation that's equal parts eerie and insightful. They tackle some of the haunted house problems in higher ed AV: ghost signals that won't quit, obsolete equipment that seems impossible to kill off, and the slow creep of outdated standards lurking in classrooms everywhere.

Joining the discussion are special guests Gary Cummins Indiana University and Neal Feuerhelm from the University of Illinois, who weigh in on how their campuses are handling the monsters of modernization. From faculty demands for shiny new gear to the challenges of keeping hundreds of teaching spaces alive and stable, the group debates what's worth upgrading, what's better left buried, and how to keep technology aligned with real teaching and learning goals.

And since it wouldn't be fall without a little football, the episode features a spirited Weekly Rivalry matchup between Illinois and Indiana. Much like on the gridiron, each university makes its case for AV dominance, touting classroom innovations, campus traditions, and the resilience of their teams. The friendly trash talk goes into overtime with lightning-round questions and leaves listeners with one key takeaway: in higher ed AV, rivalries may be playful, but the commitment to delivering reliable, effective teaching technology is very real.

Connect with our guests:

Gary Cummins - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-cummins-5690026b/

Neal Feuerhelm - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nfeuerhelm/

AI-generated Alternate Episode Titles:

• Spooky Trends & a Big Ten Showdown

• Ether Killer and the Haunted Classroom

• When Old Gear Refuses to Die

• Spooky Season, Creepy Standards, and a Big Ten Showdown

• Ghosts in the Machine: Higher Ed's Halloween Special

• Haunted Touch Panels and Other AV Nightmares

• Rivalries, Revenants, and Room Schedulers

Far Superior Human-Generated Alternate Show Titles:

• You want all those ports back?

• They went from putting everything on there to nothing

• There's not enough of it to justify putting in a special thing

• Are you too busy to finish a thought?

• Your standards are at random heights

• The consumerification of all our AV products

• That meant it was dead, not asleep

• Either one, I don't want to do anymore…

• Live grounding bus bar

• I don't know how many pools you have on campus

• We got a name for that

• It involved a lot of lube

• Turn it to 11

• You can't really touch the HTML

• It's the viewer's problem

We stream live every Friday at about 300p Eastern/1200p Pacific and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded September 12, 2025

It's episode 1-2-3 Off the Rails, and the crew is joined by two special guests for an especially thick and robust panel for a discussion of multi-display classrooms that either delight faculty or guarantee support tickets, the eternal war over dongles, aspect ratios, and those pesky 4:3 PowerPoints that just won't die.

Special guests Tino Kaltsas and BC Hatchett jump into the chaos, sharing stories about bats in classrooms, rogue lighting complaints, and makeshift pandemic-era libraries-turned-classrooms. The panel debates whether multi-display AV systems are a blessing or a curse, all while tossing good-natured jabs and commiserating over faculty whiteboard obsession.

And of course, it wouldn't be an Off the Rails live show without the Weekly Rivalry segment featuring this week's unlikely face-off between Wisconsin and Vanderbilt. With their original opponents chickening out, the Badgers and Commodores go toe-to-toe in a spirited four-quarter contest of AV wits, scored with touchdowns, field goals, and a surprising number of bats.

News: https://www.cined.com/apple-iphone-17-pro-introduces-prores-raw-and-genlock-for-filmmakers/

AI-Generated Alternate Show Titles:

• Bats, Whiteboards, and Multi-Display Madness

• The One True Aspect Ratio (and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves)

• When Your Library Becomes a Classroom and Your Classroom Gets Bats

• Zip Ties, Velcro, and the Scars to Prove It

• Weekly Rivalry: Wisconsin vs. Vanderbilt—The Matchup Nobody Asked For

• Pumpkin Spice and PowerPoint Crimes

• Genlock, Dongles, and the Quest for Simplicity

• From Cheese Curds to Hot Chicken: A Higher Ed Showdown

• Please Stop Writing on the Auditorium Whiteboards

Far superior human generated alternate show titles:

• Broadcast-ish quality

• There's a button on your phone?

• Listen… she was sleeping

• I didn't realize that was a big fauxpas

• That's a piece of garbage on a chair

• Makes me want to start smoking again

• I have a maybe-even-worse scenario

• The goober who comes in off the street

• Somebody's got to speak a bit of truth

• Asking for a hammer to dig a ditch

• Sound freeze

• Bats in our belfry

• Chasing this thing around with a Dell box

• Did you tell them the sun moves?

• I was super pleased with it

• That's a great example of Marc being wrong

• We do math pretty well

• Test in production

• It's a squeaker!

We stream live every Friday at about 300p Eastern/1200p Pacific and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded September 5, 2025

The AV SuperFriends are back with two special guests, Casey Sisco (UTSA) and Atkins Fleming (Texas State). This one covers it all: from facial recognition at football stadiums, to the never-ending challenges of digital signage.

The highlight of the show is our Weekly Rivalry segment, where Texas State and UTSA face off in a sports-style showdown for AV & IT bragging rights. With Casey and Atkins representing their campuses, the panel covers standards, design strategies, and the quirks that make each team unique. Touchdowns are scored, safeties called, and by the end we've got a winner crowned in the I-35 Showdown.

It's rivalry, it's comedy, and it's AV therapy, all rolled into one.

News: https://edscoop.com/university-of-florida-debuts-facial-authentication-for-sports-events/

AI-generated alternate show titles:

• Pumpkin Spice and Projector Lamps

• Digital Signage and Other Bad Decisions

• Facial Recognition at the Football Gate

• Velcro, Zip Ties, and Rivalries

• From Body Farms to Concrete Labs

• The Great USB Extension Debate

• Standardization vs. Innovation

• Who Runs Texas Tech? (No not that Texas Tech)

Far superior human created alternate show titles:

• You can't change culture

• Take your stick and plug it in

• As long as it works for them…

• Why would I put it online?

• Alls we do is put the display on the wall

• Not for MY group

• I wasn't in the conversation when this was being set up

• But do you care? I DO care

• We get into a lot of… battles

• Use code "Raul" for 10% off

• Health codes, maybe?

• Free Tacos on Tuesday

• Hurdle spaces

• USB control hub room thing

• What I'm hearing is Stagnatation

• The body farm is just littered with dead humans

• Flies, and rot, and maggots

• I-35 showdown

We stream live every Friday at about 300p Eastern/1200p Pacific and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded August 15, 2025

In this episode, Chris, Jamie, Larry, and Justin revel in the chaos and excitement of back-to-school preparations and reminisce about their experiences from ten years ago while tackling the challenges of the new academic year.

The discussion kicks off with a lighthearted look at the absurdities of the back-to-school rush, including the frantic requests from faculty and the inevitable tech hiccups. The team shares their thoughts on how far AV technology has come in the past decade and reflects on the lessons learned along the way. From the struggles of outdated systems to the thrill of new installations, they cover it all.

As they navigate through their own back-to-school stories, the panelists reveal their personal strategies for managing the busy season and keeping their sanity intact.

AI-generated alternate show titles:

• Back to School: AV Edition

• Lessons Learned: A Decade of AV

• The Back-to-School Survival Guide

• AV Flashbacks: 10 Years of Chaos

• Tech Trials and Triumphs

• From Panic to Preparation

• AV SuperFriends: Back to School Madness

• Navigating the New School Year

Far superior human created alternate show titles:

• They hibernate and then re-hatch

• Looks like an owl winking at you

• Everybody loves whiteboards

• That whiteboard is structural

• These were working before they touched them

• You know who didn't say that?

• He… didn't get fired

• It's my first day!

• I've been flat on purpose

• Dumb questions like "Are you done yet?"

We stream live every Friday at about 300p Eastern/1200p Pacific and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded August 29, 2025

Just in time for the big Texas at Ohio State game, it's a special episode of AVSF! When the calendar hands us a rare fifth Friday, the AV SuperFriends don't take the week off. We go live with a special bonus episode full of chaos, competition, and classroom technology trash talk. Chris, Jamie, Marc, and Justin are joined by two guests: Chris Harshfield from Ohio State and David Cannon from UT Austin.

This week's Weekly Rivalry segment pits Buckeyes against Longhorns in a gameday-style showdown of AV & IT. Ohio State touts consistency, standardization, and reliability; Texas fires back with swagger, experimentation, and capital-project muscle. The panel keeps score with field goals, touchdowns, and questionable penalties, while the guests trade stories about tier-one support armies, bizarre teaching spaces (from daycares to pickle labs), and the occasional bucket of "dog heads."

From HDBaseT vs. AVoIP to the eternal Velcro vs. zip tie debate, nothing is off-limits in this spirited back-and-forth. And when the final whistle blows, it's not just about who wins on the scoreboard, but it's about what "championship-level" classroom technology really means.

Connect with Chris Harshfield: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-harshfield-6aba67225/ [email protected]

Connect with David Cannon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-cannon-cts-d-cts-i-mta-silver-4b625831/ [email protected]

We stream live every Friday at about 300p Eastern/1200p Pacific and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀ ► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support